Refrigerator having provisions for collecting moisture



9. Marcha, 1954 s. G. FAGERBERG ET AL REFRIGERATOR HAVING PROVISIONS FOR COLLECTING MOISTURE Filed April 26, 1950 J MyW /W ,arme/V57 Patented Mar. 2, 1954 REFRIGERATOR HAVING PROVISIONS FOR COLLECTING MOISTURE Sven Gustaf Fagerberg and Nils Magnus Warmon, Stockholm, Sweden, assignors to Aktiebolaget Elektrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application April 26, 1950, Serial NO- 158,184

Claims priority, application Sweden May 1l, 1949 (C1,- S2-N3) 6 Claims.

l This invention has reference to refrigerators, and especially to those of the household type in which the cooling unit extends horizontally and is located at or near the upper end of the refrigerator and arranged to cool the area in the refrigerator located below the cooling unit. An object of the present invention is to provide improved means for removing the condensation or moisture which forms or gathers on the evaporator in a manner which will not hinder or prevent free communication between the surfaces of the cooling unit and the air circulating in the area to be cooled.

In known structures of the character to which the. present invention relates, a collector or drip plate in the form of a pan, is usually arranged directly below the cooling unit, such plate being usually of a size to comprehend the area of the cooling unit and often extending substantially from wall to wall within the refrigerator cabinet. Such plate or pan is generally spaced Aslightly from the lower end of the cooling unit.

Since such a pan or plate occupies space which might be used for the storage of articles to be refrigerated, it is placed very close to the cooling unit in order to consume as little of the storage space in the cooling chamber as possible.

On the other hand, the plate must be spaced from the cooling unit to an extent necessary to allow a free iiow of air about the unit.

The present invention contemplates an improvement in the type of plate or pan above described, and in which the collection of the condensation or drip will be facilitated and will be directed, because of inclination of the surfaces on which the water collects, toward a drain arrangement of improved construction adapted for the collection of the liquid,

In the accompanying drawing, wherein several illustrative embodiments of the invention are disclosed, Fig. l is a vertical sectional View through a refrigerator cabinet shown somewhat diagrammatically, and showing one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing another embodiment of the invention; and Figs. 3 and 4 show two cross-sectional shapes in which the improved drip collector can be made.

With reference to Fig. l of the drawing, l) indicates generally the body or cabinet of a refrigerator of known construction, the walls there-` of being constructed in the conventional manner and preferably of sheet metal between which insulation 2U is provided. The front of the refrigerator is normally closed by the conventional hinged door indicated at 2l.

The cooling unit is indicated at l2 and the same is located in the upper portion of the interior of the refrigerator cabinet and supported at the rear by the supporting means 22, This cooling unit I2 may be of any suitable type, although the present invention is particularly applicable to refrigerating apparatus operating with inert gas, the cooling units of which may be of relatively flat formation, providing an upper dat surface 23 for the support of ice trays or the like, and a dovmwardly-directed under surface 2li generally maintained at a higher temperature than the upper surface and intended for the cooling of the area located below it in the refrigerator cabinet. Such lower plate 24 can be provided with areaenlarging means, such as flanges, fins, ribs or the like. It is an important feature of the present invention that the cooling surface on which the water collects shall operate in a manner to direct a flow of such water in a predetermined direction for collection. This result is attained by providing inclination or slant to such surface or surfaces, and preferably downwardly from the front end or door of the refrigerator toward the center or toward the rear of the cabinet.

For example, in Fig. l of the drawing it will be noted that the under surface of the bottom member o1` plate 2li of the cooling unit is composed of the two inclined surfaces 2t and 2S meeting at substantially the center line of the unit. At that central point is provided a double gutter 2l, formed with the channel it, for collection of liquid flowing down the surface of the inclined portion 25, and having an oppositely-directed channel 29 for the collection of the liquid flowing down the inclined surface of the portion 26. The angle of inclination of the surfaces 25 and 2d can be from eight to eleven degrees, more or less. The surfaces of the parts 25 and 26 can be channelled, ribbed or distorted in various ways., such as for example, the arrangement shown at tain Fig. 3, or that shown at 3| in Fig. 4.

The inclination of the cooling surface to horizontal creates a directing influence on the drops of ywater formed on such surface due to adhesion, and said drops cling to the surface until they become increased to a size and weight which causes them to run downwardly along the surface vto the lowermost point to then drop off and bey collected into the gutter channels and 21%'. t is possible to increase the tendency of the drops of water to adhere to thc Surface of the plate 2d by preparing such surface by the application oi coatings thereto.

f In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 2, the drip collector is in the form of two plates indicated respectively at 33 and 31. That indicated at 33 slopes downwardly from the front of the refrigerator to a point close to the center of the cooling unit 38, while that shown at 31 slopes downwardly from the rear end of the refrigerator chamber to a point near the center of the cooling unit. At the center of the cooling unit, the two plates are spaced apart, as indicated at 39, such spacing constituting an aperture along the center line of the unit for facilitating the air ow through the space between the plates 33 and 31 andthe under surface of the cooling unit. These plates 33 and 31 may be corrugated, undulated, finned or ribbed, as explained with respect to the structure of Fig. l.

At the inner end of each of the plates -33 and 31 is provided an upstanding liange 40, a portion of said iiangebeing downwardly bent and vcurved to form a gutter 4|. The front end of the plate "33 is formed with a vertical wall or flange 42, while a similar flange or wall 43 is providedl at the rear end cf the plate 31.`

In the several embodiments of the invention shown, the inclination of the plates on which the Ycondensation gathers is such that the drops of moisture, Whether collected from above the plates or by formation on the under surfaces of the plates, will tend to run toward the lower- `most point on the plates and drop therefrom into the collection gutters. With the arrangements described, a minimum of encroachment upon the storage space in the refrigerator is had, and an ecient collection of the condensation water is attained in a manner to not impede or reduce the cooling efliciency of the cooling unit in the refrigerator.

In View of the foregoing, it will now be understood that in both Figs. 1 and 2 the cooling unit, which forms a part of a partition to divide the interior of the cabinet into upper and lower compartments, is eiective to transmit cooling effect at one temperature to the upper compartment and at a higher temperature to the lower compartment. In Fig. 1 the bottom members or plates 24 and 25 of the cooling unit I 2 provide a horizontally extending surface at the ceiling of the lower compartment for cooling air circulating in such lower compartment. Similarly, the plates 33 and 31 in Fig. 2 provide a horizontally extending surface adjacent the ceiling of the lower compartment for cooling air circulating in such lower compartment. In addition, the bottom plates 24 and 25 in Fig. 1 and plates 33 and 31 in Fig. 2 constitute structure which coacts with the cooling unit and is subject Vto the higher temperature cooling effect produced by the latter.

, The horizontal surfaces provided by the plates 24 and 25 in Fig. l and plates 33 and 31 in Fig. 2 take up and occupy a substantial portion of the horizontal cross-sectional area of the lower compartment of the cabinet. In each embodiment the horizontal surfaces provided by the plates include only rst and second portions (plates 24 'water droplets.

4 flowing thereto in opposite directions from the plates providing the first and second portions of the surfaces at or adjacent the ceiling of the lower compartments.

The undersides of the plates 24 and 25 in Fig. l and plates 33 and 31 in Fig. 2 have in affinity for moisture condensed thereon in the form of Further, the plates in Figs. 1 and 2 are inclined' from the horizontal so that, when the Water droplets become suiiciently large, theyvwill flow by gravity in opposite directions at the undersides of adjacent plates while adhering thereto and pass into the troughs at the lowermost regions of the plates.

Having described several embodiments of the invention,- it is obvious that the same is not to be llower compartments, refrigeration apparatus comprising cooling means forming a part of said partition to transmit cooling effect at one temperature to the upper compartment and to transmit cooling effect at a higher temperature to the lower compartment, structure co-acting with said cooling means which is subject to said higher temperature cooling eifect and provides a horizontally extending surface disposed at or adjacent the ceiling of said lower compartment for cooling air circulating in such lower compartment, such surface occupying a substantial portion of the horizontal cross-sectional area of the lower compartment and including only first and second portions which slope downwardly toward one another at an acute angle from the horizontal and at the underside of which occurs condensation of water vapor present in an circulating in the lower compartment, and means at the lowermost regions Vof the first and second portions of said surface for receiving water flowing thereto in opposite directions from the rst and second portions of said surface, said surface having an aiiinity for moisture condensed .at .the underside thereof in the form of water droplets and the iirst and second portions thereof each and 25 in Fig. 1 and plates 33 and 31 in Fig. 2)

Vwhich slope downwardly toward one another at v and 31 in Fig.w2, such troughs receiving water being at such an inclination from the horizontal that, when the water droplets become suiiiciently large, they will flow by gravity in opposite directions at the underside of the first and second portions while adhering thereto and atthe lowermost regions ofsaid. portions pass onto .said water receiving means.

2. A refrigerator as set forth in claim 1 in which said cooling means include a housing. or shell having spaced apart top and bottom walls and vertical walls connecting the peripheral edge portions of said top and bottom walls, the top wall of said shell providing a supporting surface for matter placed in the upper compartment and the bottom wall thereof providing the iirst and second portions of said surface.

3. A refrigerator as set forth in claim 1 in which the first portion of said surface slopes downwardly toward the rear wall of the cabinet interior and the second portion of said surface slopes downwardly toward the front access open- 5 ing and the lowermost regions thereof are disposed between the rear Wall of the cabinet and the front access opening, said Water receiving means in the direction of its length being disposed substantially parallel to the rear Wall of the cabinet.

4. A refrigerator as set forth in c1aim3 in which said Water receiving means includes two separate channels each of which is arranged to receive condensate from the lowermost region of only one of said surface portions.

5. A refrigerator as set forth in claim 1 in Iwhich said structure comprises an element which is subject to said higher temperature cooling eiect, said element being disposed beneath and spaced from said cooling means and closely adjacent thereto, the underside of said element providing said surface.

6. A refrigerator as set forth in claim 1 in which said structure comprises a drip pan which is subject to said higher temperature cooling effect, said drip pan being disposed beneath and spaced from said cooling means and closely adjacent thereto, the underside of said drip pan providing said surface and the top thereof being formed to catch drip from said cooling means,

and said drip pan having an elongated opening at the vicinity of the lowermost regions of the rst and second portions of said surface which extends substantially parallel to the rear Wall of the cabinet.

SVEN GUSTAF FAGERBERG. NILS MAGNUS WARMON.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 713,237 Nash Nov. 11, 1902 1,709,730 Maxwell Apr. 16, 1929 1,761,629 Hunt June 3, 1930 1,788,226 Baxter Jan. 6, 1931 2,030,923 Hopkins Feb. 18, 1936 2,104,845 Anderson Jan. 11, 1938 2,234,846 Strobush et a1. Mar. 11, 1941 2,345,453 Brace Mar. 20, 1944 2,400,135 Quinn May 14, 1946 2,490,491 Tuschling Dec. 9, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,763 Australia Apr. 20, 1928 

